Kia’s next-generation Sportage has made its first appearance on public roads this week, wrapped in heavy camouflage for some cold-weather testing.

But, despite the coveralls, a number of the new Sportage’s styling details can be seen through the frost and thick padding.

Up front, we’ll see Kia’s bold new evolution of its familiar ‘Tigernose’ grille, revealed by the big new Sorento SUV and Carnival people-mover as a more upright, wide and chrome-heavy take on the design.

The tapered roofline and tightly raked C-pillar of the current model will also evolve for this new-generation Sportage, and LED-rich tail-lights can also be seen at the rear.

Further details at this stage are unclear, although we can undoubtedly expect the new Sportage to be offered with small petrol and diesel engines, ranging in output from 90 to 185kW, depending on the market.